Tummy Tuck: Q&A
Ask a QuestionWaterbed Effect Still Present After Doc Tried to Aspirate Abdomen and Came out Dry. Should I Worry?
I am almost four weeks post op now from tummy tuck.i had to see my PS partner beings my doc was out of town for the week. the doctor aspirated one spot on my left side and came out with very very very little fluid. he did not attempt to aspirate any other area but i still have the waterbed effect on my lower abdomen. he said to keep my regular appointment and just wait to see what my PS says about it. should i be worried? how do i know if it is hematoma, seroma or pseudo-bursa.
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12 Doctor Answers |
Asked by
valley girl
in central IL
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Seroma after tummy tuck.
Seroma is fluid underneath the skin that can accumulate after tummy tuck. It usually means that the abdominal skin has not stuck down to the underlying abdominal wall.
Compression and drains help prevent Seroma in the early post operative period.
It sounds at this point as though you may have a persistent Seroma. Frequent drainage is the best way to go. Sometimes these will resolve with multiple drainages, but on occasion they can require reoperation to get rid of the...
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Excess fluid after a tummy tuck
As long as you're not having fevers or severe abdominal pain, it's okay to wait 5-7 days before attempting another drainage of the fluid. A low salt diet and compression garments may help in the meantime. However, in my experience seromas resolve after 4-6 weeks of serial aspiration of the fluid.
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Fluid after tummy tuck
Sounds like you have a seroma under the abdominal flap. See your surgeon to aspirate the area again. This will help prevent infection and contour abnormalities. Donald R. Nunn MD Atlanta Plastic Surgeon.
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You have a seroma. It needs to be aspirated.
Even if you had some old blood, you do not have an actively-enlarging hematoma. This is either old blood and serum, or seroma, both of which require the same treatment--aspiration one or more times, compression, and if not resolved in this fashion, replacement of drain, sclerodesis, and (rarely) re-operation for pseudobursectomy.
After a month, if these tissues haven't "stuck-down" yet, they become progressively less likely to do so, so there is some degree of urgency here....
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A seroma after a tummy tuck
It sounds like you have an ongoing seroma problem. If you are asking should you be worried about this being dangerous, then the answer is no. You can safely wait until your plastic surgeon returns.
Sometimes the layer of fluid is so thin that it is very difficult to aspirated and then it's better to just let it be rather than keep trying and increase the risk infection or injury to one of the surrounding structures.
While you wait continue to wear your compression...
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Waterbed Effect Still Present After Doc Tried to Aspirate Abdomen and Came out Dry. Should I Worry?
Sometimes a plastic surgeon can attempt to aspirate a fluid collection (seroma) and not get any fluid back. If there is evidence of a fluid collection but it cannot be aspirated "blindly", an ultrasound examination may demonstrate the presence of the fluid collection, and the radiologist can use the ultrasound to guide them to find and aspirate the fluid. Rarely, returning to surgery to place a drain may be necessary...although no one looks forward to this option, it is...
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Aspiration of abdominal seroma
I have experienced this problem as a Plastic Surgeon and when I have been unsuccessful in finding fluid in one area I had to switch to other areas to attempt to find the location of the fluid. If the movement of the skin would suggest the presence of fluid because of the water bed feeling of the abdomen, one needs to continue to look for this. Sometimes ultrasound or CT scanning may need to be utilized to locate this fluid. Occasionally the fluid may have to be...
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Seroma after a Tummy Tuck usually DOES have a Waterbed Wave Effect
I sounds like you have a residual seroma. The surgeon should tap at the lowest point of the wave with you standing. Since the area is largely numb it should not hurt. It sounds like the seroma was missed. Arrange to see your surgeon as soon as he gets back. These usually resolve with several painless taps and compression garments.
Peter A Aldea, MD
Memphis, TN
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A waterbed under my skin?
From your description it seems likely that there is more fluid or that some has accumulated under your abdominoplasty flap. This is one of the more common complications of a tummy tuck. It is common that patients who do develop a seroma will need more than one aspiration. I would contact your plastic surgeon and make another appointment to have him check you. In the mean time wearing an abdominal binder and taking it easy can help prevent reaccumulation of fluid as well. Best of luck, Dr Kerr
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Seroma after tt
Small seroma usually resolve. Needle aspiration usually works. Your doctor may want to try again and if he ccomes up dry just go with compression and close follow up. He may order an ultrasound also.
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.
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